Buffalo Bills News - November 9, 2003

Cowboys hope familiarity breeds win over Bills [5:05 AM]Houston Chronicle reports:
'"I think Buffalo is certainly a team that could give us trouble," Parcells said. "They started the season well and have pretty good firepower on offense. Their defense is third in the league. These guys can do something. I think we'll have to be at our best. If we do against Buffalo what we did last week at the beginning of the game, there's no way we can win it."'

November 8, 2003

LB Thomas out for Sunday's game with Tennessee [10:24 PM]AP reports:
Also Saturday, the Dolphins released return specialist Charlie Rogers and activated cornerback Alphonso Roundtree from the practice squad. Rogers was acquired in April from Buffalo to give Miami's return game a boost. He had a one-year, $555,000 contract.

Midseason Position-By-Position Overview [6:46 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
At the midway point this season, Drew Bledsoe has led the Bills to a 4-4 record. At Kansas City, Bledsoe threw for 153 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and against the Redskins, he went 19 of 26 for 244 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Carter keys Cowboys' comeback [8:54 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"It's a dream come true for me," Carter said. "I'm blessed and I thank God for being in this position, but at the same time it's a lot of hard work. Every day there's something to be done, even in the offseason. There's charity work, reading to kids. There's high expectations for this position, and the guys I'm following. Morton, Staubach, Meredith, Aikman, it's a big time tradition here."'

Ex-Buckeyes set to battle [8:53 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"I think we stack up pretty well," Winfield said. "They're not big guys, so we don't have to worry about the jump balls. But they all have good speed and good experience."'

Adelphia decides to take a pass on the NBA season package [8:52 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes will be the subject of a day-in-the-life feature at noon today on MAAD Sports, carried on cable's BET. Spikes shares his feelings about Buffalo, music and his father.'

A smooth leap for Moorman [5:17 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'“I don’t really know the ins and outs of what makes a kicker good, but I know Brian can kick it far and place it where he wants to,” said special teams captain Sammy Morris. “Every time he kicks it, I don’t call it kicking, he booms it.”'

Henry grabs attention [5:16 AM]Fort Worth Star Telegram reports:
'If he breaks 100 yards against the Cowboys, Henry will become the first Buffalo back since Thurman Thomas in 1994 to string together three 100-yard games.'

Inside slant [5:15 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'Three off-seasons of rebuilding under president and general manager Tom Donahoe was supposed to yield the club's first playoff berth since 1999, but Buffalo's once high-power offense ranks 27th and its expensively remodeled defense, though highly rated at No. 3 overall in yards allowed, is 24th in sacks and tied for the AFC low with 10 takeaways.'

Strategy and personnel [5:14 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'Bills LB London Fletcher vs. Cowboys RB Troy Hambrick -- Hambrick is a load, but he coughed up two fumbles last Sunday. Bills need more plays from Fletcher, who has forced no turnovers so far.'

Notes, quotes, anecdotes [5:13 AM]CBS Sportsline reports:
'Bills LT Jonas Jennings and Cowboys QB Quincy Carter were teammates and roommates at Georgia and remain close. Said Carter: "That's my man. We have a very special relationship. His family will be spending some time this weekend at my house. Me and Jonas are like brothers, it'll be hard to play against him. All our lives we've been on the same team except in high school, we went against each other a couple times, but we share a special bond. Jonas is probably the best guy you want to be around in a crisis. He's one guy who's always going to keep you loose, nothing seems to bother him. What's his is yours, he's very unselfish and that's how we became such good friends. He's a guy you just like being around because he's so positive, you never hear negative words come out of him."'

Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills [9:43 PM]DallasCowboys.com reports:
'The Bills can point to turnovers for the biggest factor in their last two road losses. Three games ago, Buffalo coughed up the ball four times in a 30-3 loss to the Jets. In their last game before the bye week, Buffalo had seven turnovers in a disastrous 38-5 loss to the undefeated Chiefs. The Bills rank last in the AFC with a minus-nine turnover ratio. Only Arizona (minus-13) has a lower ratio in the league.'

Targeting Bledsoe [12:06 PM]The Sports Network reports:
'"He's no [Michael] Vick," safety Roy Williams said. "And they're giving up a lot of sacks. As a blitzer, I smile on it. I'm happy that I get to blitz against him and he's not very mobile."'

Time for a turnaround [12:05 PM]The Sports Network reports:
'The Bills will likely have a tough time running the ball this week, as they are last in the league with just 84.3 yards per contest on the ground. Starting back Travis Henry turned out to be the lone bright spot in the loss to Kansas City, registering 124 yards on 22 carries (5.6 ypc). Buffalo must attempt to establish Henry early in this contest to control the Dallas pass rush.'

Secondary Matchup Receiving Attention [11:24 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Bills cornerbacks Winfield and Clements will go head to head with the Cowboys wide receiver's Terry Glenn and Joey Galloway this week. All four of these players have played at Ohio State and were also first round draft picks in the NFL.'

Bills-Cowboys Preview [11:24 AM]AP reports:
'Dallas has the No. 1 defense in the NFL, while Buffalo is third. Neither team is allowing opponents to average more than 280 total yards a game.'

Bledsoe Knows What To Expect From Parcells [11:23 AM]AP reports:
'“He would stand right behind me while I was dropping back, during the play, and would start saying, ‘Throw it! Throw it! Throw it! Throw it! Throw it!”’ Bledsoe said. “Man, I couldn’t wait to get to Sunday so I could get away from him, get on the field where I could have some peace and quiet.”'

Buffalo at Dallas Preview [9:38 AM]NFL.com reports:
"Before anybody asks me any crazy questions now, we're just 4-4, point blank, period," linebacker Takeo Spikes said. "Nobody's going to tank it. A lot of teams have come back from this. There's been teams who came back from worse. But every game is critical from here on out."

Shining star [8:55 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'It's no secret that he has little use for reporters. His verbal sparring with the scribes in New York and Boston are legendary.'

It takes Bills a while to get in gear after rest stop [8:53 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'Only once has a Bills quarterback broken the 300-yard barrier after a bye. And it wasn't Jim Kelly, who had plenty of chances during the K-Gun era. Current Chiefs backup Todd Collins, who was making just his third NFL start, threw for 309 yards - including 111 to Thomas - as the Bills defeated the Colts, 16-13, in OT in 1996. So it's clear that rest isn't always good for what's ailing the Bills.'

Bills' drives are stalling more inside the 20 [5:15 AM]Rochester D&C reports:
'Henry would like Gilbride to put his eyeballs on him and make him the team’s red-zone “workhorse.” Will things change starting Sunday? “I have no choice but to believe it will,” Henry said. “I’m going into this with a positive attitude that when we get into the red zone, I want the ball.”'

Former Fresno State football player sentenced [5:13 AM]AP reports:
'But Wright was involved in a three-car collision in September in New York that injured three people. He was arrested on criminal charges, including driving while intoxicated. Wright was then cut by Buffalo. Criminal proceedings in that accident are pending.'

Tuna to Face Former Players [5:12 AM]RNews.com reports:
'"He doesn't treat any two players the same," Gash explained. "It's more whatever he finds to push your buttons, he'll use it. He'll do it until you just can't stand it anymore then he'll do it some more."'

Parcells is more myth than legend [5:11 AM]Olean Times Herald reports:
'“You can’t let the inmates run the asylum ... players will do what you let them do and won’t do what you don’t let them do. I don’t want tin soldiers on my team and I don’t ask their nature to correspond to my nature.”'